Plug and switch box



May 20, 1947- D. CONLAN PLUG AND SWITCH BOX Original Filed July 2, 1945David Canlzzn INVENTOR sY'aggy RNEY Patented May 20, 1947 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE PLUG AND SWITCH BOX David Conlan, Brooklyn, N. Y.,assignor to Conlan Electric Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporationof New York 2 Claims.

The invention herein disclosed relates to apparatus for providingwater-tight extension circuits on shipboard and is a division of theinvention covered in copending patent application Serial No. 493,313,filed July 2, 1943, now Patent No. 2,397,595.

Objects of the invention are t provide a watertight form of outlet boxand plug construction which will be so protected that the plug carryingthe extension circuit cannot be withdrawn without turning the currentoff at the box and in which the current will not be turned on at the boxuntil the plug is positioned therein.

Another important object of the invention is to enable the current tothe extension circuit being turned off without withdrawing the plug fromthe box.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a safe and reliablequick acting form of water-tight receptacle and plug combination havingthe foregoing advantages, which will be of simple and inexpensiveconstruction and practical in every way.

Other desirable objects and the novel features by which the purposes ofthe invention are attained are set forth or will appear in the course ofthe following specification,

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrates a present commercial embodiment of the invention but it isto be appreciated that structure may be modified and changed as regardssuch illustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of theinvention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. l in the drawing is a broken sectional view showing the plug inposition in the box and the switch in the circuit closed position;

Fig. 2 is a broken sectional detail as on substantially the plane ofline 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The box structure comprises a box body I constructed for mounting on awall, ceiling, deck or other support, provided with a watertight cover(not shown) and having a flanged opening at 9 in the bottom, for theplug ll! of the extension circuit cable H.

The plug is shown as carrying side contacts l3, l4, engageable withreceptacle contacts l5, l6. within the box.

Circuit to the receptacle contacts is controlled by a toggle switch 45connected by conductors I9, 20, with the respective receptacle contactsl5, l6.

Actuation of the switch in the circuit closing direction is effected byand under control of the p ug.

The actuating rocker 46 of the toggle switch is shown biased in thecircuit opening direction by a spring 41 and as operated'in the circuitclosing direction by a plunger 48 adapted to be projected by a key pin49 in the end of the plug.

The plunger 48 is shown as operating in a tubular guide 50 extendingthrough the receptacle base 5| which serves as a cross partition in thebox, and this guide is shown as having attached to or extending from ita guard sleeve 52 which may be of insulating material.

The. plug is formed with an end cavity 53 to freely receive the guardtube 52.

A spring 54 within the guide 50 serves to hold the plunger 48 inretracted relation, with the switch retained in open circuit conditionby spring 41 when there is no plug in the box.

When the special plug designed for the box is inserted, as shown in Fig.1, the plunger it will be projected by the center pin 49 of the plug andthereby caused to rock the switch into the circuit closed position forextending current to the receptacle contacts l5, Hi. In this conditionthe plug contacts I3, [4, are in circuit but the plug is free to beremoved at any time and when it is removed it permits the switch toswing to the open circuit condition under impulse of spring 41, thus todeenergize the receptacle contacts l5, 5.

To enable control of the extension plug circuit while the plug is inplace, the box is provided with an exposed push-button 56 on a plunger51 projecting up through the top or the box and carrying inside the boxa cam 58 sliding through a slot 59 in the tubular portion 60 of theswitch handle and through a slot 6| in the plunger portion 62 of thathandle, to thrust back the latter clear of the operating plunger 48.

The plunger portion 82 of the toggle lever is shown as pressed, outwardin the tubular part til by spring 63 so as to normally overstand the endof plunger 48 and be engaged thereby to close the switch when the plugis inserted, but at any time after that, the push-button may be operatedto telescope the projected portion of the switch handle inwardly free ofthe plunger, whereupon the spring 4'1 will snap the switch to opencircuit condition and thus cut off the receptacle contacts. Then, if itbe desired to close the plug circuit, the push-button plunger 51 may bepulled outward, whereupon the cross pin 64 in the lower end of the wedgecam 58 will engage the tubular switch handle to swing the switch back tothe closed circuit position.

The spring 63 is strong enough to hold the sliding portion 62 of theswitch handle pushed outward against the cam when the plug is inserted,thus to automatically project the push-button into position where it maybe utilized for interrupting the plug circuit, and spring 41 is strongenough-to pull the switch to open circuit position whenever the plug isremoved.

The push-button plunger is shown operating through a. water-tight gland65 and similar water-tight connections may be provided wher the switchactuating plunger 48 operates through the insulating partition 5 i.

The guide tube 50 and guard tube 52 may be screwed into opposite sidesof the insulating base 5!, as indicated, to facilitate ready removal andreplacement. The plunger 48 may be a Bakelite rod or other insulatingmaterial.

To make a water-tight joint when the plug is removed from the box, thehead 55 of the switch actuating plunger 48 may carry or may engage agasket 6'! on the flange 68 in the lower end of the guard tube 52.

The invention makes it certain that the receptacle contacts will be outof circuit when there is no plug in the box. Inserting the plug in thebox operates the toggle switch to cut the receptacle contacts intocircuit and thus carry current to the plug extension circuit. Theoperation of inserting the plug in the box also projects the controlplunger 56, 51, putting that into position Where it may be operated atany time to telescope the toggle plunger and permit the switch to besnapped by spring 41 to Oh position. The control plunger 55, 51', alsomay be pulled out at any time to snap the toggle switch to the onposition to energize the receptacle contacts l5, 15.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined plug and switch box, comprising a water-tight box having aplug opening, a plug receptacle in the box in line with said opening, aplug for engagement in said receptacle, a plunger in said box in linewith the movement of plug entry, a guard about said plunger, said plughaving an opening in the end of the same to receive said guard andprovided with a pin Within said opening positioned to engage and actuatethe plunger, a switch mounted in the box and connected to control saidplug receptacle, said switch having an actuating toggle in line withsaid plunger to be thereby engaged and operated by said plunger uponinsertion of a plug within the box and spring means for throwing saidswitch toggle to oil position when no plug is in place in the box, saidtoggle having a retractable portion movable to a position clear of theoperating plunger and means exteriorly of the box for effecting saidretractable movement of said retractable portion of the toggle.

2. A combined plug and switch box, comprising a water-tight box having aplug opening, a plug receptacle in the box in line with said opening, aplug for engagement in said receptacle, a plunger in said box in linewith the movement of plug entry, a guard about said plunger, said plughaving an opening in the end of the same to receive said guard andprovided with a pin within said opening positioned to engage and actuatethe plunger, a switch mounted in the box and connected to control saidplug receptacle, said switch having an actuating toggle in line withsaid plunger to be thereby engaged and operated by said plunger uponinsertion of a plug within the box, spring means for throwing saidswitch toggle to off position when no plug is in place in the box, saidtoggle having a retractable portion movable to a position clear of theoperating plunger, means exteriorly of the box for effecting saidretractable movement of said retractable portion of the toggle, saidlatter means including a plunger movable in one direction to free saidtoggle of the operating plunger and movable in the opposite direction toshift said toggle to the closed circuit position of the switch.

DAVID CONLAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,689,495 McElroy Oct. 30, 19281,971,990 Reynolds et al. Aug. 28, 1934

